Undercover Boss

Seasons

2010

USA

5.8

TV-PG

Business leaders go undercover in their companies, taking on various low-level roles to gain insight into operations and employee experiences.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Waste Management

Larry O'Donnell, the President and C.O.O. of Waste Management, works alongside his employees, cleaning porta-potties, sorting waste at one of their recycling plants, collecting garbage from a landfill and even being fired for the first time in his life. O'Donnell's mission is to garner an up-close look at his company and workforce to see how and where improvements can be made from both an operational and morale standpoint.

S1 • E2

Hooters

When Coby Brooks, President and CEO of "Hooters" goes undercover in his own company, he finds himself struggling to keep up in a fast-paced kitchen and is, later, forced to take immediate action when a restaurant manager steps out of line.

S1 • E3

7-Eleven

Joe DePinto, President and CEO of 7-Eleven, runs a tight ship. Joe is a no-nonsense former military man determined to make his company run as efficiently as possible. But he's going to give up his personal putting greens to work on the front-lines of his own company. By going undercover, Joe hopes to find ways to improve systems and operations for franchisees and to make 7-Eleven an even more well-oiled machine. Joe travels to Shirley, NY for his first job. This store is the biggest seller of coffee in the 7-Eleven system with over 2,500 coffee cups guzzled down everyday. His boss for the day is Dolores, a sharp lady who knows all her customers by name. After a few bumps in the road Joe starts to realize there is a lot more to making coffee than he thought, especially in such a high volume store. Joe interacts with one of Dolores' regular customers and learns that Dolores goes to dialysis twice a week and is waiting for a kidney donor. He is extremely moved by Dolores's story and also realizes that the store's secret to selling so much coffee isn't the location or type of coffee they are selling, it's Dolores herself. The next day Joe heads to a bakery in Baltimore, MD. Joe wants to check out the operation and meets Phil, a former marine who's in charge of all new trainees. Joe and Phil's task is to put fritters and other bakery items on the line to be baked. Joe struggles to keep up but Phil understands the importance of teamwork and helps him out. Phil and Joe connect as former soldiers and then head to the break room. Phil shows Joe his passion, doing artwork. Joe finds talking to Phil and getting to know him without any corporate talk a hugely enjoyable breath of fresh air. Joe's journey continues as he heads to Medford, NY to work the night shift. Joe meets Waqas, a bright and intelligent student from Pakistan, working hard to get his Bachelor's degree in America. Joe who is not used to working late at night is sluggish and tired. Waqas immediately notices th

S1 • E4

White Castle

Dave Rife, the owner of White Castle, goes undercover in his own company where he accidentally ruins thousands of hamburger buns after mishandling equipment in one of his bakeries, and also discovers low morale among his employees at a local factory.

S1 • E5

Churchill Downs

Bill Carstanjen, COO of Churchill Downs, Inc., the corporation famously known for its Kentucky Derby, goes undercover at his own racetracks where he faces his fear of horses head-on, and is unable to hold back tears after working for one employee.

S1 • E6

GSI Commerce

Michael Rubin, CEO of the billion dollar e-commerce giant GSI, which provides customer service and product shipments for online orders to numerous top U.S. retailers, goes undercover in his own company where he discovers that rushing through a task can result in injury to others, and that his packing and shipping skills are not up to company standards.

S1 • E7

Herschend Family Entertainment

Joel Manby is a former big cat in the auto industry who has settled down into the wholesome and fulfilling job as CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment. He'll give up his executive office and expensive account to work on the front lines of his own company. By going undercover, Joel hopes to get a closer look at how the recession is affecting his employees and to really see how it is to work on the front lines. Joel travels to Stone Mountain, GA for this first job. Joel's boss for the day is Captain Howard, a duck boat driver and entertainer at the Ride the Ducks attraction. Here, Joel sees what a great entertainer Howard is and is pleased to see he's making so many kids and families happy at the park. Joel realizes that other tours from other areas should see Howard's tour and vice versa; he thinks the other Ride the Ducks operations could learn a lot from one another. The next day Joel heads to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Here, Joel meets a young man who is extremely enthusiastic and dedicated to his job in customer service. They start out working the front gates and the stroller booth, then head to lunch. In the break room, Joel learns Albert's passion is theme parks and designs roller coasters in his spare time. Albert wants to go to school but can't afford it if he's not working, but when he is working he often doesn't have time for school. Joel is extremely impressed with Albert's drive and dedication, and even sees a little bit of himself in Albert. Joel's journey continues at Silver Dollar City at 3:30 in the morning. He's up and ready to work washing the streets of Silver Dollar City with Richard. Joel struggles with the job and Richard critiques his work along the way, determined to get the park clean. While working, Joel and Richard talk about their lives and find out they've both adopted children. Richard also shares that he lost his house in a flood a few years ago and is still trying to rebuild his home. Joel is inspired by Richard's persevera

S1 • E8

Roto-Rooter

President and COO of Roto-Rooter Rick L. Arquilla goes undercover in his own company and finds himself overwhelmed with emotion while working alongside several employees who force him to reflect on his past as well as his future legacy as the boss of their company.

S1 • E9

1-800-Flowers

Chris McCann, President and COO of 1-800-FLOWERS, America's largest florist and online gift shop, goes undercover where he is shocked by customers' perception of their brand and is later forced to reveal his true identity - a first for the series.